A series of raids in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas has destabilized one of the Gulf Cartel’s major factions and led to the arrest of several high-profile figures. Due to widespread corruption in Mexico, certain factions of the Gulf Cartel have managed to elude Mexican federal and state authorities for over a year. But in recent weeks, relations between the two parties appear to have broken down, leading to a series of raids by authorities and targeted attacks by cartel militants.
One of the major operations took place over the weekend in Tampico, Tamaulipas, where federal authorities arrested Antonio Guadalupe “Escorpion 17” Pérez Dominguez, a top leader of the Escorpiones and Ciclones factions of the Gulf Cartel, according to a written statement from the Municipal Security and Protection Agency (SSCP), the new name for Mexico’s federal police.
The Escorpiones, based in the border city of Matamoros, are one of the two main factions of the Gulf Cartel. The cartel factions have been fighting for more than a year for control of lucrative drug and human smuggling routes into Texas. In recent weeks, the Escorpiones have experienced a series of internal conflicts that have turned some of their top leaders against each other. The conflict has benefited rival Gulf Cartel factions.
After capturing Pérez Dominguez, authorities quickly flew him to Mexico City. They took him to a federal detention center called Altiplano in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico State. He faces federal organized crime, as well as drug and weapons charges.
SSCP Mexico
Since that first raid, authorities have conducted seven additional raids in the border city of Matamoros targeting trafficking dens allegedly operated by the Gulf Cartel. During those raids, authorities seized several drugs and weapons and arrested three cartel leaders, identified as:
- Daniel Isidro N., alias “El Danny”, is registered as a lieutenant in the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel.
- Leonardo Daniel “N”, alias “El Pepino”, is in charge of communications and is believed to run the city’s video surveillance center.
- Perla Guadalupe “N,” aka “La Cunada,” is listed by authorities as a financier for the Gulf Cartel.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
Brandon Darby is Managing Director and Editor in Chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart executives. twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
